Automatic pressure and temperature control



Deg. 30, 1947.

R. L. LITTLEJOHN AUTOMATIC PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL Filed Nov. 20, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l R H m 0 M lllllllll {Iii}!iwlilli il T d U 2 a? kEFI m K 7 1||||.:|| V 4. u m w AL T 2 m B Wm O NEE. i v M &

ec. 30, 1947. R. L. LITTLEJOH v4 AUTOMATIC PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL Filed Nov. 20, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ROBERT L. L/ TT.LEUOHN.

BY 6. ATTORN Y.

IINVENTOR."

Patented Dec. 30, 1947 iNlTED STATES [NT OFFICE Ao'rom'ric rnnssnsn AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL Robert L. Littlejohn, Los Angeles', Calif. Application November 20, 1944, Serial No. 564,373 I 4 Claims.

invention is not necessarily limited to .such

specific type of use.

An additional object is to provide an eflicient automatic pressure and temperature control for the water supply of a unit such as a tub or shower wherein. a constant temperature of the water will be maintained at any selected temperature, and

wherein the flow pressure may be likewise maintained constant, however being otherwise selected or regulated for any desired pressure within the pressure range of the system.

Other objects and advantages will appear and be brought out more fully in the following speciflcation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the same.

Referring more particularly to the drawing I show a cabinet l0, preferably of sheet metal or the like, having a cover ll, hinged thereto at 12, the cabinett being adapted to be flush mounted in a wall adjacent to and preferably above a hydraulic receptacle such as a bath tub in a house or dwelling. A hot water pipe l3 and a cold water pipe Hi run in the wall, enter cabinet It] as through the bottom thereof, and are connected to a mixing chamber 15, an outlet pipe l6 being provided therefrom which is connected to a valved T-connection i! from which a pipe 18 leads to a shower head, and a pipe l9 to an inlet nozzle of th tub.

Pipes i3 and I4 are each provided with shut-off valves 28 of any suitable design, the valve cylinto hydraulic controls and ders 2| thereof being provided with links 22 which are connected to a disc 23 mounted on a shaft 24, a suitable bearing member 25 being provided therefor within cabinet iii. A knurled operating knob 26 is mounted on shaft 24 and extends externally of the cabinet through an aperture 21 in cover H, as shown in Fig. 2.

2 Pipe i3 is provided with a temperature control valve 28 and pipe [4 is provided with a similar temperature control valve 29. Valve 28 has a cylinder member 39 and valve 29 has a cylinder member 3|, which cylinder members are provided with crank arms 32, which are interconnected by a link 33 and actuated together by a bell crank 34 pivoted at 35 on the housing of mixing chamber l5.

Pipe i6 is provided with an automatic pressure reduction valve 36 having a valve operating knob 31 and an indicating arm 38 which may register with a scale. 39 suitably indicating pressures as from zero to eighty pounds per square inch, or

other indicia indicating variations in the pressure or .rate of flow such as slow, medium and fast. This pressure control device 36 may be of any conventional construction, and the detailed features thereof are not thought to need detailed descrip- ,tion herein. Knob 31 extends through an aperture Ill! in cover ll.

Pipe I3 is provided with a thermostatic temperature control 4 I of any suitable or selected construction having an operating lever 42 connected by a 1ink iii to a bell crank 44 pivoted at 45 on the housing of control M. A link 46 connects bell cranks 34 and 44, by which construction it will be apparent that the movement of temperature control operating lever 42 will actuate valve cylinders 30 and 3|, and, as shown in Fig. 1, as cylinder 30 moves to an opening position, cylinder 3! moves to a closing position, and vice versa, Temperature control 4| is provided with a control knob il which extends through an opening 48 in cover ii, and is provided with a pointer 43 movable over a scale 50 on the control, which scale may be calibrated in degrees as between and 200, or other range of limits which may be preferred and selected.

The operation of the invention should be clear from the foregoing description. Valves 2!] are normally kept closed when the mechanism is not in use. When it is desired to operate the con trol, the pressure control operating knob 3'; is set, at any desired pressure as indicated by the scale 39, and temperature control selector 41 is similarly set at any selected temperature as indicated on scale 56. Thereupon valves 2!) may be opened by rotating control knob 26 to the full open position, and hot water from pipe I3 and cold water from pipe i l will enter mixing chamber l5 and be mixed uniformly, and as the mixed water passes through the pressure control 36 the rate of flow and pressure will be regulated therein for any given discharge restriction beyond the zone of thermostatic control, thereby maintaining a predetermined pressure and rate of flow at the zone of thermostatic control. As the water passes through temperature control 4!, actuating lever 42 will differentially set valve cylinders 30 and 3| of valves 28 and 29 so that the water being discharged from shower head pipe [8 or tub inlet pipe I9, will be maintained at the temperature selected, and also at the pressure determined by pressure control 36. Valve I1 may be provided with a pressure actuated plunger Ha of conventional type to direct the flow of water to shower pipe I8 or tub pipe l9.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. In an automatic pressure -and temperature control apparatus, a plurality of supply pipes having valves, a mixing chamber connected to said supply pipes, a discharge pipe leading ifrom said mixing chambena thermostatic control means in said discharge'pipe adapted to actuate at least one of said valves, and an automatic pressure control means in said discharge pipe, said pressure control means being positioned between said mixing chamber "and "said thermostatic control means, thereby maintaining a predetermined pressure at the zone .cf thermostatic control.

2.111 an a paratus for "controlling the temperature andpressure of Water, a pair of supply conduits, a mixing chambensaid supply conduits heir-reconnected with said mixing chamber, valve 'meansein each of said conduits for controlling flow therethrough'a'nd into said mixing chamber, an automatic pressure control means and ethermo'stati'c control means, a discharge conduit leading from said mixin chamber to said pressure control means and thence to said thermostatic control means, whereby said pressure control means maintains a predetermined pressure at the zone of thermostatic control, said thermostatic control means being adapted to differentially actuatesaid valve means, said pressure and thermostatic control means each having a manually actuatable adjusting device provided with an indicator and a scale registrable with said indicator.

3. The combination as in claim 2, wherein the thermostatic control means differentially actuates said valves by a combination of bell cranks and levers correlating said thermostatic control means with said valves so as to close one of said valves while the 'other is being opened.

4. In an apparatus for controlling the temperature and pressure of water, a pair of supply conduits respectively for hot and cold water, a mixchamber, said supply conduits being connected with said mixing chamber for conducting the hot and cold water into said chamber, valve means in each of said conduits for controlling flow therethrough and into said mixing chamber, an automatic pressure control means and a thermostatic control means, each of said means being adjustable respectively to provide predetermined preset-ire and tem erature conditions, -'a discharge conduit leading from said mixing chamber -tosaiii pressure control means and thence to said thei mestatic control mean whereby said pressure control means may afio'r'd a predetermined pressure at the zone of thermostatic control, s'a'i'd thermostatic control means being adapted to cliffifle fitifiih actuate Said valve means and thereby maintain the said predetermined ternperatnre conditions of the discharged water mixture.

ROBERT L. HT ILEJOHN.

REFERENCES CITED The "following references are of recordiin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name Date 700,434 Lord May 20, 1902 1,153,547 Finney Sept. 14, 1915 1330;590 Ebinger Oct. 17, 1933 1954;993 Walker Apr. 17, 1934 

